The African Union has set a target of controlling and eliminating malaria in Africa by 2030. Achieving this objective will require all sectors to come together to:
- advocate for malaria to remain high on the national development agenda and be a priority across all sectors
- take action to support the implementation of the national malaria strategy
- mobilise resources (financial and in-kind) to support life-saving interventions
- hold each other mutually accountable for achieving national targets
To help achieve these objectives, former ALMA Chairs His Majesty King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini and His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta called for the creation of national End Malaria Councils and Funds (EMCs).
About End Malaria Councils and Funds
End Malaria Councils and Funds are country-owned and country-led, multisectoral forums to accelerate progress in the fight against malaria.
They bring together senior leaders from government, the private sector, civil society and the community to champion malaria, advocate for it to remain high on the national development agenda and mobilise commitments to close gaps in national malaria strategic plans. In some countries, these councils and funds also address neglected tropical diseases.
Council members may include:
- government ministers
- members of parliament
- private sector executives
- philanthropists
- traditional and religious leaders
- civil society leaders representing key constituencies including youth, women and rural communities
Each sector—government, private sector, civil society and communities—has unique experiences, resources, capabilities and networks that can remove barriers to malaria elimination. For example:
- Members of Parliament and government ministries can advocate for increased funding for health in the national budget and implement laws, regulations and policies that creating an environment more favourable to malaria control and elimination.
- The private sector has extensive experience with supply chain management and logistics, the efficient scaling up of activities, and communications, which can contribute significantly to the implementation of the national malaria strategic plan.
- Religious, traditional, and other leaders (including those representing key constituencies such as youth, women and rural communities) are trusted messengers that can encourage communities to adopt malaria-safe practices, such as sleeping under an insecticide-treated net every night.
End Malaria Councils and Funds complement existing structures and partners by ensuring that malaria is prioritised across all sectors and that they have adequate financial and in-kind resources to implement malaria interventions. They can also be established at subnational levels (such as at a province level) to convene leaders at a local level to advocate for malaria control and elimination and mobilise resources.
Status of End Malaria Councils and Funds
To date, End Malaria Councils and Funds have been established in the following countries:
Kingdom of Eswatini
His Majesty King Mswati III (former ALMA Chair) established a national End Malaria Fund to mobilise financial and in-kind resources to close the budget gap under the Kingdom’s national malaria elimination strategy. This fund is chaired by a senior executive from the private sector.
Learn more about the Eswatini End Malaria Fund.
Republic of Kenya
His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta (former ALMA Chair) established a national End Malaria Council composed of senior leaders from the private sector, government and subnational communities to support the national malaria programme and promote local manufacturing of malaria commodities.
Learn more about the Kenya End Malaria Council.
Republic of Mozambique
His Excellency President Nyusi and the Prime Minister established the ‘Fundo da Malaria’, a non-profit foundation to mobilise financial and in-kind resources to support the national malaria control programme of the Ministry of Health. The fund is managed by an independent board of directors chaired by a well-respected religious leader, malaria champion and civil society advocate.
Learn more about the Mozambique Fundo da Malaria.
Federal Republic of Nigeria
His Excellency President Buhari inaugurated a national End Malaria Council in August 2022. This council is chaired by Mr Aliko Dangote, a global malaria champion, and is composed of other titans of industry, religious leaders and senior government representatives.
Learn more about the Nigeria End Malaria Council.
Republic of Uganda
The national malaria control division of the Ministry of Health partnered with the Malaria Partners International (formerly Rotarian Malaria Partners) to establish ‘Malaria Free Uganda’ a non-profit foundation charged with driving advocacy, action and resource mobilisation to support the fight against malaria in Uganda.
Learn more about Malaria Free Uganda.
Republic of Zambia
Established jointly by His Excellency President Lungu (President of the Republic of Zambia) and the Honourable Minister of Health, the End Malaria Council and Fund is composed of senior leaders from across government, the private sector and civil society. The fund is an independent, non-profit foundation managed by an independent board of directors that reports on a quarterly basis to the council. The End Malaria Council has also established subnational councils in all 10 provinces.
Learn more about the Zambia End Malaria Council and Fund.
How End Malaria Councils and Funds work
End Malaria Council members are charged with serving as malaria champions and engaging their respective sectors to mobilise commitments for advocacy, action and resources to address gaps and bottlenecks in the national malaria strategy.
- Each quarter, these leaders come together to receive an evidence-based update from the national malaria programme on the status of malaria (including the national malaria scorecard tool) and operational bottlenecks and resource gaps limiting progress against the disease.
- The leaders then collaborate to mobilise commitments from their respective sectors to address the bottlenecks and gaps.
- Mobilised commitments are provided by the council to the national malaria control programme and its partners, who remain responsible for implementing the interventions specified in the national malaria strategic plan.
- The status of gaps and commitments are reviewed during each council meeting with the members being mutually accountable to one another.
Example commitments
To date, End Malaria Councils and Funds have mobilised more than US$23 million in financial and in-kind commitments to support the implementation of national malaria strategic plans. Examples include:
- The Zambia Revenue Authority donated trucks and other vehicles to the National Malaria Elimination Centre to support the distribution of insecticide-treated nets, implementation of indoor residual spraying and programme administration.
- A multisectoral coalition including the Anglican Diocese of Lusaka, Isdell:Flowers Cross-border Malaria Initiative, First Quantum Minerals and other partners has run a multi-year mass media campaign in Zambia to distribute social and behavioural change communications and sustain the visibility of malaria during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Eswatini’s End Malaria Fund provided funding to the National Malaria Programme to finance the procurement of life-saving commodities and salaries of teams of spray operators implementing indoor residual spraying (IRS).
- Malaria Free Uganda has mobilised a commitment from DHL to support the transportation and redistribution of malaria commodities to address upsurges in cases.
- Mozambique’s Fundo da Malaria supported the establishment of a parliamentary forum on malaria to advocate for malaria control and elimination to be a priority in the national budget and amongst policymakers.
- Members of the Fundo da Malaria’s board of directors partnered with two civil society organisations to disseminate social and behavioural change communications and promote gender equity in targeted communities and through religious leaders.
- The Kenya End Malaria Council has entered into a memorandum of understanding with global manufacturing firm S.C. Johnson to support vector control, social and behavioural change communications and the promotion of local manufacturing of malaria commodities.
- During the Kigali Summit on Malaria & Neglected Tropical Diseases, representatives of councils and funds announced a shared pledge to mobilise more than US$100 million to support national malaria strategic plans.
How we support End Malaria Councils and Funds
Since 2018, ALMA has supported advocacy and technical assistance to member states for the creation of national End Malaria Councils and Funds. As a Head of State and Government organisation and technical partner to Ministries of Health and National Malaria Control Programmes, ALMA supports the design, implementation and ongoing operations of End Malaria Councils and Funds.
ALMA’s Chairs have engaged fellow Heads of State and Government to encourage countries across the African Region to implement national End Malaria Councils and Funds. This advocacy has resulted in the adoption of a decision by the African Union Commission to make multisectoral End Malaria Councils a regional priority.
ALMA also works closely with Ministers of Health, national malaria control programmes, and partners to develop councils and funds that are tailored to each country’s unique situation and needs. This includes the drafting of concept notes, sponsorship of multisectoral workshops, multisectoral advocacy, and technical assistance to each council and fund’s administrative secretariat.